EV-00Cut / fillWeekly

Cite a surface, not a load count.

Weekly cut and fill volumes from drone capture, differenced surface to surface, for the payment application and the haulage plan. Instead of a stack of cross-sections drawn by hand.

Get startedSee the comparison
Cross-section sketch: two ground surfaces, with cut shaded where the ground fell and fill where it rose CUTFILL
Prior captureThis week
GSD
UAV / <10 cm
Cadence
Weekly
Platform
Drone / crewed aircraft
Spectral
RGB
EV-01The job today

When the sub's loads and your sections disagree

The valuation date comes round and you need a number for material moved. So you pick section lines, read both surfaces off each one and average the areas between them. It is hours at the desk, and the answer depends on where you happened to cut the sections.

The earthmoving sub has its own figure, built from truck loads, and it is rarely the same. Now you are explaining the gap to the commercial team while the payment application waits. You would like to point at a surface instead.

The takeoff, step by step

  1. MV-01

    Setting the reference

    Cross-section takeoff
    You work from the existing ground survey and the design surface, and update them by hand as the site changes.
    With Earthwork Volumes
    Your first capture, or an as-graded surface you supply, becomes the baseline every later week is measured from.
  2. MV-02

    Choosing where to measure

    Cross-section takeoff
    You choose section lines and spacing. Between the sections the ground is assumed to change smoothly, so what falls between them is estimated.
    With Earthwork Volumes
    Every part of the captured surface goes into the difference, so there is no section spacing to defend.
  3. MV-03

    Working out the volume

    Cross-section takeoff
    Area at each section, averaged between neighbours, summed along the site, redone each period.
    With Earthwork Volumes
    The new capture is differenced against the prior one and the cut and fill volumes come back in cubic metres.
  4. MV-04

    Splitting it by area

    Cross-section takeoff
    You draw the sections to line up with the bill of quantities items and the areas you bill.
    With Earthwork Volumes
    Volumes come back by the zones or cut areas you name, in a CSV keyed to your zone references.
  5. MV-05

    Reconciling with the sub

    Cross-section takeoff
    You compare the subcontractor's load counts with your own takeoff and chase the difference.
    With Earthwork Volumes
    You put a surface-derived volume next to the load count, so the argument starts from a measured number.
  6. MV-06

    The haulage plan

    Cross-section takeoff
    Net import and export come from the last takeoff, and are out of date by the time the trucks are rebooked.
    With Earthwork Volumes
    A net export and import figure for the period goes into the weekly plan.

Still yoursThe payment application, the contract's measurement rules, the survey of record for disputed quantities, and the decision on what the sub gets paid.

EV-02What you getWeekly

What arrives each week

  1. F-01

    Cut and fill volume

    Cubic metres

    The volume of cut and of fill since the prior capture, by zone. It serves the takeoff row and the payment application line. Weekly.

    MV-03: Working out the volume
  2. F-02

    Net export or import

    Balance

    The site's overall balance for the period, for the haulage plan and the borrow and spoil figures.

    MV-06: The haulage plan
  3. F-03

    Surface difference layer

    Map layer

    A map layer showing where the surface rose and where it fell, so you can see which zones the volume came from.

    MV-05: Reconciling with the sub
  4. F-04

    Zone export

    CSV

    The figures by zone or cut area reference, to drop into the quantities sheet behind the payment application.

    MV-04: Splitting it by area
EV-03Against the valuation cycle

How it works

  1. Week one

    Boundary and baseline

    You send the site boundary and, if you have one, an as-graded surface. Without one, the first capture sets the baseline.

  2. Each week

    Capture

    A drone flight covers the site. Weather and ground conditions decide the day, so we do not fix a date.

  3. Each week

    Differencing

    The new surface is compared with the prior capture, and the height change is turned into cut and fill volumes.

  4. Before the valuation

    Volumes out

    The volumes, net balance, difference layer and CSV are ready for the week's haulage plan and for the payment application cut-off. Volumes accumulate across a gap, so a missed flight delays the number and does not lose it.

EV-04What you give up

Limits

L-01It is a working volume, not a survey of record
For disputed quantities, a licensed survey stays the reference. Use this for progress, haulage and the payment application workings.
L-02Surface volume only
It measures how the surface changed. It does not tell topsoil from rock from debris, and it does not know what was compacted or bulked.
L-03Water, snow and access
Standing water and snow cover distort the surface, so a week with either may read wrong or be flown late. A site we cannot get over for a week waits for the next window.
L-04The pixel sets the smallest thing you can see
Small features such as a trench edge or a kerb line may not show at a pixel size under 10 cm. The surface height is a separate question from the pixel size, and the pixel size does not tell you the height error.
EV-05Who it's for

Switch if

  • You are a civil contractor's project engineer building the payment application and the haulage plan
  • The sub reports in loads and you want a surface-derived figure beside it
  • Cross-sections are taking your time at the desk

Stay with cross-sections if

  • The contract fixes the measurement method and it does not allow a differenced surface
  • You need a stamped survey for a dispute
  • The site is under trees, cover or water for most of the period
EV-06FAQ

Questions before you switch

Q01Does this replace our cross-section takeoff?

For the working volume, yes. For disputed quantities the licensed survey is still the reference, and the contract's measurement rules still apply.

Q02Is it survey-grade?

No, and we will not call it that. Treat it as a working figure for progress and payment tracking.

Q03How do we check it against our own takeoff?

Take a period you have already measured, give us the same site boundary and the baseline, and compare our volumes with your sections.

Q04How is the baseline set?

Your first capture, or an as-graded surface you supply, sets the reference. Every later week is differenced from it.

Q05Can it tell topsoil from rock?

No. It measures surface volume change and does not classify material.

Q06What if the site cannot be flown for a week?

Capture slips to the next window. The volumes accumulate across the gap.

Q07Will it open in our design software?

The zone volumes come as a CSV and the difference as a map layer. We do not write into your design or accounting software.

Q08Who owns the imagery and the results?

Ownership and licence terms are agreed in writing when you get started. If your legal team needs them earlier, ask.

Q09How is it bought and priced?

We do not publish a price. Tell us about your site and we will scope it.

Mounds of excavated soil on a site at dusk, with power lines behind
EV-07

Put a surface under your next payment application.

Send us a site boundary and tell us how you measure today. We will explain how the volume would be derived.

Get started